BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 11, 2021– On Wednesday, August 11, 2021, the Carnival Vista, a Carnival cruise ship carrying 2,895 guests onboard, arrived in Belizean waters. Among the passengers and the crew members on the ship were 27 persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 — 26 of them being crew members from varying departments, in addition to one passenger. In view of the potential risks of the spread of the virus from those persons to members of the Belizean community, the Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Hon. Anthony Mahler, met virtually with the officials of the Carnival Cruise to be briefed on the alarming situation.
Minister Mahler was reportedly informed that while there were 27 Covid-19 cases reported on the ship, the infected persons did not pose any threat to the guests or crew on the ship or to any frontline workers in Belize because those persons who tested positive had been isolated and no further cases were found during a contact tracing exercise that included the interactions of 900 persons.
After thoroughly assessing the situation, Belize’s authorities determined that the risk of transmission was very low. The US-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noted that the situation had been contained and the protocols that were put in place on the ship were deemed effective. It was also noted that 99.98 percent of the crew members and 96.5% of guests onboard the ship had been vaccinated, and the persons on the ship who tested positive for the virus had been vaccinated, with a majority being asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Wellness took additional precautionary steps by putting additional protocols in place. All passengers on the ship who had tested negative had to provide proof of their status through proper documentation, and the remainder were subject to random testing upon coming onshore. The Ministry of Health and Wellness’s team further did an on-site evaluation of the ship and indicated that the measures which had been put in place onboard the ship were exhaustive and highly effective.
According to international news reports, after the Carnival Vista left the Galveston, Texas, port on August 7, several crew members on the ship tested positive for Covid-19, and this prompted the cruise line to put in place a mask mandate for all cruise voyagers. It was also decided that, as of August 14, all persons onboard the cruise ships, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test. This announcement was made on the day the ship left Galveston.
A passenger on the ship told local reporters that there were strict protocols for mask-wearing onboard the ship, and she further said that it was required that she take a test and isolate herself 72 hours prior to the voyage. She said that random testing was also done when passengers started boarding the ship. Another passenger noted that after the Covid-19 cases were discovered on the ship, frequent cleaning and sanitization was carried out onboard the vessel, and they were constantly reminded to wash their hands and sanitize and to wear a mask unless they were taking a drink or on a secluded balcony. A release from the Belize Tourism Board stated that there were further requirements for crew members, whose designated social area was closed in response to the outbreak. They were also required to wear N95 masks at all times.
The release from the Belize Tourism Board further noted that even though stringent protocols are in place, incidences of the virus are inevitable. It stated that focus should be placed on properly containing new cases to avoid unnecessary spread of the virus or cancellations. According to the release, the protocol that was put in place by our local authorities, stipulates that passengers on any ship on which more than 2% of the persons onboard have tested positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed to disembark. The percentage of cases on the Carnival Vista which arrived in Belize today was way below the threshold — equating to less than 0.01%.
The BTB release states, “The safety of guests, crew and frontline tourism workers is the highest priority for cruise lines and destinations. The ability to manage and control health-related matters, COVID-19 in particular, is fundamental to the operations of all involved. Cruise lines have been sailing globally throughout the pandemic, and in July, resumed sailing the Western Caribbean and Belize. The lines have maintained an exceptional safety record and with the extensive protocols in place it is arguably one of the safest ways to travel today, amidst the pandemic.”
Carnival Vista was the first ship to arrive in Belize (on July 8) since cruise ships stopped visiting Belize after the onset of the pandemic. Today, only 5 weeks later, the news of an outbreak onboard that ship has dampened the optimism that had been mounting about a bounce-back in the tourism sector, and there are now fears that a major virus outbreak may cause a halt in cruise tourism once more.
A report from Cruise Law News suggests that Carnival Cruise has not been transparent in its disclosure of information to both the press and the regulatory agency – and it noted that “a small number” of guests were infected on a previous cruise.